1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a document image processing apparatus, and more particularly to a document image processing apparatus that can properly read a document image which includes a large number of articles and columns.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional document image processing apparatus cannot automatically read a document including a large number of articles and columns. Such an apparatus only can read in order from top to bottom read a document having a single article of a single column.
Therefore, when a document including a large number of articles and columns is required to be read by the conventional apparatus, the input document image must be divided into subregions represented by lines of text or paragraphs of lines. Further, the relationship of connections between the respective sub-blocks must be designated by human operations.
Moreover, each document to be read must be defined individually in terms of its own layout form. Thus, a document including a large number of articles and columns must be read by procedures associated with cumbersome and time-consuming human intervention.